About Pune:
Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati
Fondly called as the Oxford of the East and the Cultural capital of Maharashtra, Pune as a city has grown manifolds over the past few decades.
LANGUAGE:
The regional language out here is Marathi. Unlike many other Indian regional languages, Marathi is easy to understand, posing not too many problems to the tourist.
Much can be attributed to the similarity it holds with the national language Hindi.
TRAFFIC:
The traffic out here does get congested and it is best to travel either via two-wheelers or auto rickshaws in the interiors. The amount of two-wheelers and women drivers here is probably one of the highest in the country.
SAFETY:
As is with the most of the cites, the intra-city areas are very safe even during the night. Venturing alone or into unknown areas near the ghats or on the outskirts are not advisable.
Though Pune does not report of very serious crime rates, petty thefts etc. are to be watched out for. Do not stop to give lifts or to ask directions during night times in isolated areas.
CURRENCY:
The Indian Rupee is the used currency. Many new currency exchange points and ATM centers have come up all over the city over the last two years making money very easily accessible for visitors. Always carry loose change in coins for urgent calls, parking etc. Beware of the Rs 500 notes, check them before using.
THE PUNEITE:
The Puneite is definitely much more relaxed and friendly than the average Bombayite. A warm greeting about his wellbeing will do him in and mind you, he’s very touchy about Pune. The most outstanding aspect of Pune and its people is the sound balance they have maintained between modernity and their age-old rich culture and tradition. No wonder, it’s called the ‘Cultural Capital of Maharashtra’ as well as ‘The Oxford of the East’.
Geographical location: Pune district is located between 17.5′ to 19.2′ North and 73.2′ to 75.1′ East. The district is bounded on North & East by Ahmednagar district, by Satara district on the South and by Raigad district on the West. In Pune district, there are two municipal corporations, namely Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchawad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).
Pune district covers 14 talukas & 13 Panchayat Samitis. There are around 1,866 villages in the district. Total road length of Pune district is 13,642 kms. Average rainfall in the district is 600 to 700 mms.
Pimpri Chinchwad is located at the West of Pune city, touching the
Pune- Mumbai National highway.The corporation covers the area of Akurdi, Pimpri, Chinchwad and Bhosari. The said area is developed by MIDC as an industrial zone.
Geographical Status of Pune city:
Pune city is located at 559 metres from the mean sea level. It is located in the Deccan Plateau and is about 100 kms east from Konkan coast and at a distance of about 160 kms from Mumbai.
It is located at the confluence of Mula-Mutha rivers. It is bounded by hills on the western side. One can see the
Sinhagad-Katraj hilly area to the south. About 12% area of the city is hilly area.
Geographical area:
The total geographical area of Pune district is 15642 sq. kms. This is around 5 per cent of the total area of Maharashtra state.
The total geographical area of Pune city is 450.69 sq. kms. Out of the total area, 38.6 per cent is residential area, 1.8 per cent is commercial area, 9.5 per cent is defense area, 11 per cent is industrial area and 9.7 per cent is recreational area.
Population
Total population of Pune district is 72.24 lakhs, out of which 37.68 lakhs are men and 34.56 lakhs are women as per 2001 census.
Population of Pune city is around 31, 57,000 as per 2001 census.
Climatic Conditions:
Pune stands on the leeward side of the Western Ghats on an altitude of 559m.(1863 ft.). The temperatures are pretty moderate. Though not as unpredictable as the British weather, the city of Pune does have its share of uncertainties in different seasons.
SUMMERS:
Summers here begin from early March to July. Though not as hot as Northern parts of India, the daytimes are very sunny with dry heat. Early mornings are pleasant and evenings after six, cool and breezy
Bright summery clothes are an obvious suggestion with sunglasses for driving. The temperature ranges from 38′C to 20′C. Though, this year, summer hit a new high with 40+ a common temp.
MONSOONS:
Being on the leeward side of the ghats, Pune has a good three months of rains from July-August to October. Clear skies in the morning are not to be deceived by, as it does rain in the evenings. Umbrellas for pedestrians and raincoats for drivers are a must, as there lies no escape. While driving, beware of potholes and use a minimum of two pairs of shoes as drying takes about 2-3 days. Temperatures range from 18-19 degrees to 30 degrees.
WINTERS: From November to January, Pune has it’s winter season. Though light woollens are fine during the day, early mornings, evenings and night times require more clothing as it’s chilly.
6′C was the lowest recorded last year. For drivers, windcheaters and head covers are a must. Hot cup of coffee are highly enjoyable during mornings and evenings.
SPRING:
Though not in the real sense of the term spring, late Jan to March are the most pleasant months in Pune. The sun is bright and warm and temperatures move in the moderate zone. Overall, the climate and temperature does not go to extremities and humidity is negligible here. Any time of the year Pune is perfect for morning and evening walks
The temperature of city ranges between 12′C to 37′C.
The average rainfall recorded is 600 to 700 mm. Maximum rainfall is observed from June to September every year. Owing to its geographical location, the climate of the city is cool and pleasant throughout the year. The natural beauty of the city has given it the title of Deccan Queen.
Socio-Economic Status:
In Pune, there are two cantonment areas. Pune city is well connected to the cities of Nashik, Mumbai, Ahamadnagar, Solapur & Bangalore.
Other facts
Jowar, bajara, wheat and rice are the major crops in the city Bhima is the major river of the district and minor rivers are Karha, Kukadi, Pavana, Meena and Shivganga.
The Helpline
The Helpline has specially been created so that the users have all the emergency and important telephone numbers at their fingertips.A ‘category menu’ has been created to segregate one section from the other, making it easy for the user to get just the ‘right’ number.
Listing numbers from ‘hospitals’ to ‘railway enquiry’ we have covered almost every category. However if you want information on any other category, we would be most happy to be at your service
Ambulance
Ambulance 101
Columbus Ambulance 2553 1146 / 2353 2630
Narayani 2433 8833
Pune Heart Brigade 105
Rugna Seva 2421 7672
Sai Ambulance 2695 9308 / 2695 9208
Ruby Hall Clinic 2612 3391
YCM 2742 3456
Blood Bank
Ruby Hall Clinic Dhole Patil Road 26136318
Acharya Anandrishiji Pune Blood Bank Poona Hospital, Sadashiv Peth, Pune 411030 24337627
Indian Serological Institute Near Vaikunth, Navi Peth, Pune 411030 24339906/24335244
Navjeevan Shanipar Mandir Road, Pune 411 002 2448 0341
Lokmanya Hospital Chinchwad, Pune 411 033 27459222
Inlaks and Budhrani Koregaon Park, Pune 411 001 26129080 Ext 170
Deendayal Memorial Hospital Fergusson College Road, Pune 411 004 2565 2497/ 5657/ 3332 Ext 49
K.E.M. Hospital Rasta Peth 26125600
Red cross 26120650/26120950
A.F.M.C. Blood Bank 26973290 Ext-6037
Bharati Hospital Katraj, Pune-Satara Rd. Pune 411 043 24226116
Sasoon Hospital Near Pune Railway station, Pune-411 001 2612 8000
Jehangir Hospital Blood Bank Sassoon Road, Pune 411001 2612 2551 Ext 3122 / 33
Mathurabai Vasistha Blood Bank Rastha Peth, Pune 411 001 26125600 Ext 324
Wadia Trust Blood Bank Ruby Hall Clinic, Sasoon Road, Pune 411 001 26123391/98
Jankalyan Blood Bank Swargate Pune 411 002 24449527/1462/4502
Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital Blood Bank Near mhatre Bridge, Pune 411 004 2400 300, 2402 307
Vishweshwar Blood Bank Padmashree Dr. D Y Patil Medical College & Hosp., Pimpri, Pune 411018 2742 3844
Pune Chest Hospital Blood Bank Aundh Camp, Pune 411 027 2728 0237
Akshay Blood Bank Gadital, Hadapsar Pune 411 028 2697 6456
Talera Hospital Blood Bank PCMC, Pune 411 033 2745 7054
Armed Forces Medical College Blood Bank Wanowrie, Pune 411 040 2697 3290 Ext. 6037 / 38
Day & Night Chemists
Ruby Hall Clinic Station Road 26123391 – Ext- 263
K.E.M. Medical Store Rasta Peth 26126500
Kotbagi Hospital Drug Store Pune 25887089
Poona Hospital Medical Pune 24331707 – Ext – 215
Krishna Hospital Medical Paud Road 25460625
Amar Medical Store 14 , Yerawada , Pune 6 26693978
Laxmi Medical 29 , Ram Wadi , Pune 14 26682250
Usha Nursing
Home Medical – 26344969
Kemps Medical – 26137702
Deendayal Memorial Hospital – 25652497/25651613/25654262 (extn 32)
Chemists and Druggists(Sunday Open)
Amar Medical General Stores – 2669 3978
Mahavir Medicals – 2589 7936
Puno Hospital Medical Store – 2433 8768
Saraswati Medicals – 2663 0485
Medicines (Home Delivery)
Ezzy Medicals – 2634 4247
Kalyani Medicals – 2613 8114
Hari Parshuram Aushadalaya Shaniwar Peth 24451871
Courier Services
Flypak Couriers Shukrawar Bajirao Rd 24477590
Access Worldwide Navi Peth 24335490/24335460
Ahad Tours International Salunke Vihar 26812978
First Flight
Shivaji Nagar 25535933
Chinchwad 27470838
Tilak Road 24491140
Hadapsar 26813777
Pune Station 26122283
Synagogue Street 26133554/26132644
Karve Road 25421005
Lonavala 292470658
Blue Dart Express Ltd.
Bund Garden Road 26120638/26123706/26127440
Karve Road 24004551/25432810
Toll-free numbers:
ABT Courier 1600 44 8585
AFL Wizz 1600 22 9696
Agarwal Packers & Movers 1600 11 4321
Associated Packers P Ltd 1600 21 4560
DHL 1600 111 345
FedEx 1600 22 6161
Goel Packers & Movers 1600 11 3456
UPS 1600 22 7171
New symbol to make Indian Rupee distinct:
The government on Thursday adopted a new symbol for the rupee that shall be used henceforth to represent the Indian currency in all written and electronic communication worldwide.
The symbol combines the Roman letter ‘R’ and its equivalent in Devnagari’a script which is employed in Hindi and in some other North Indian languages that were derived from Sanskrit.
The symbol, which replaces the oft-used shortened form of rupee such as ‘Rs’ or ‘INR’ (Indian Rupees), will take about two years to be fully implemented considering the time needed to update various software and computer keyboards.
The rupee has thus joined the club of currencies such as UK’s pound sterling, US’ dollar and the Japanese Yen that are identified by a symbol.
With this, the Indian rupee will also be seen as a distinct entity from its namesakes in the neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, where either rupee or rupaiah are in vogue.
For the government, having a symbol for the domestic currency has been a matter of prestige for the fastest growing free market democracy in the world. The symbol, selected by the finance ministry from over 3,000 entries and approved by the Cabinet, is designed by D Udaya Kumar, a post-graduate from IIT, who has been newly appointed as an assistant professor in the design department of IIT-Guwahati.
The government will try to adopt it within six months in the country and globally within 18 to 24 months, information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni told reporters here after the Cabinet meeting.
‘The symbol for the Rupee would lend a distinctive character and identity to the currency and further highlight the strength and robustness of the Indian economy,’ the government said in a statement. The symbol would be incorporated in the ‘unicode standard’, which is a character coding system to facilitate worldwide communication of written texts in diverse languages and technical disciplines.
The government, the software industry body Nasscom and the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology would take all steps to ensure that computer keyboards allow the use of the symbol, the government said here
